Friday 10 March 2000 19.00 EST
First published on Friday 10 March 2000 19.00 EST

Do you want to be a good European and work in Europe? If your answer is yes, then the good news is that opportunities have never been greater, with the most sought-after graduates being those with IT, engineering and language skills.

There are a number of ways to scoop a dream job in Europe. If you're adventurous you may want to jet off to your chosen destination, find a relatively unskilled job when you arrive and network your way to the top.

The more conventional route, however, is to work for a company that also has offices on the continent. Some of the UK's top companies have several European locations, including oil giant Shell and consultants Cap Gemini and Andersen Consulting.

Claire Simpson, a senior programmer with Cap Gemini opted for this career path. "One of the reasons I joined Cap Gemini was because it had offices all over Europe and I wanted to see the world within my job," explains Claire, a Sussex University graduate. Last year she worked in Switzerland for just over three months.

She speaks French, but didn't get to use the language much as her colleagues spoke a Franco-German dialect. Claire hopes to continue working abroad, but only on short term stints.

For final-year students with their sights set on getting their first graduate job in Europe, help is at hand.

EMDS is one of a growing number of international recruitment consultancies which target multi-lingual final year students and graduates with up to five years experience.

Twice a year EMDS sends up to 1,000 applicants to meet between 25 and 60 companies at a recruitment fair in Brussels. Candidates invited to the fair are guaranteed an interview and more than 50% receive at least one job offer. The next event is on April 28 2000.

Though it is possible to obtain a graduate job in Europe straight after university, some careers advisers suggest that you get at least one or two years experience first in a UK-based job.

"Job hunters at graduate level in Europe are much older than British graduates and a lot of them have done work experience," says Andrew Whitmore, a senior careers adviser at Manchester University and UMIST.

"A 21 or 22-year-old may be considered too inexperienced and too young."

Your starting point in finding a job in Europe is to work out exactly what you want to do and in which country.

Begin by looking in the UK broadsheets which regularly advertise a number of professional and executive positions in Europe. It is worth getting hold of foreign newspapers, which are sold in larger newsagents. You could even place your own ad in the "situations wanted" section - a popular route for finding a job in Germany, for example.

Trade and professional publications are also useful, as are specialist titles such as Home and Away and Overseas Jobs Express. The Overseas Placing Unit which is linked to job centres can also inform you about job opportunities in Europe.

But this method of job hunting has a number of limitations: in many cases the vacancies may be ones that are difficult to fill locally. "The system is best suited to those who have a sought-after skill or experience to offer," says Mark Hempshell writing in Getting a job in Europe (How To Books).

"Even then the chances of being offered a job are minimal. It is essential to have language ability in the country in question and the OPU cannot help with arranging interviews, contracts and permits."

If possible use the state employment service of the relevant country and private employment agencies in the UK and Europe. Finally, try contacting embassies, professional associations and chambers of commerce for details of employers to whom you can send speculative letters.

Some good news on this front if you happen to be looking for a job in France - 78% of French employers recruit from speculative applications, compared with just 64% who advertise in the press.

 Working in Europe is by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory and published by CSU publications.

Working Abroad by Jonathan Golding is published by International Venture Handbooks.